


Two Broken Hearts Makes a Whole

by Rixie96



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Awkward Jonathan Byers, BAMF Eleven (Stranger Things), Billy Hargrove Being an Asshole, Car Sex, Child Neglect, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Friends With Benefits, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Nosy Jim Hopper, Older Sibling Steve Harrington, Oral Sex, Protective Dustin Henderson, Protective Jim "Chief" Hopper, Protective Parent Jim "Chief" Hopper, Protective Steve Harrington, Public Sex, Rough Sex, Tight Pants, because that deserves a tag, because the Harringtons is never home, billy's jeans, but he's still a good friend, but not anymore, everyone's protective, he's the ofc's best friend, just alot of sex because it's billy, ofc is steve's cousin, or not as much
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-11
Updated: 2018-01-11
Packaged: 2019-03-03 10:35:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13339440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rixie96/pseuds/Rixie96
Summary: Jude Harrington is done with boys. After seeing what charming boys with nice smiles, beautiful eyes, and swinging fists did to her mother, she is not taking any chances. Her mother said he used to never be like that. That he was sweet in the beginning. So, why give the chance to be with someone who she gave her heart to them so they could just betray it? Jude is not going to let anyone hold any power over her. She'll sleep with Billy as much as she wants because she's no coward and he's no Hawkins' boy.  So, he can talk as smoothly as he likes, please her however, and stare at her as if she created the sun, moon, and stars. She's not going to be her mother because as soon as she let her guard down she'll be just as broken and foolish as her mother was. She doesn't want love to kill her, too.Little did she know while she was keeping her guard up, Billy was letting his down.





	Two Broken Hearts Makes a Whole

**Author's Note:**

> This first chapter is in Jim's POV. The next chapter is in Jude's. I imagine Alia Shawkat playing her.

_“You never know when you might be seeing someone for the last time.”_

* * *

 

Years of drinking and taking prescription drugs never had Chief Policeman Jim Hopper forget about his daughter. Or Elizabeth ‘Lizzie’ Harrington. Rich Daddy’s little girl with big brown eyes, rosy cheeks, and beautiful fair skin that flushes when he marks them. Lizzie was only two years younger than him but was easily the most popular and sought-after girl in school. But fortunate for Jim Hopper, she didn’t want the attention of the captain of the basketball/football team or a rich preppy boy.

She had a thing for bad boys and Jim was close as she was going to get to one.

He skipped classes and fucked girls at the back of his old man’s car. He smoked cigs behind the bleachers of the football bleachers and snuck into his pop’s whiskey.

Liz required living on the edge (or as close as she could get to it). She loved drinking since she felt invincible and free. Sex was not as sacred to her compared to other girls in that time period. She was fine with losing her virginity to Jim but she didn’t make a big deal out of if like other girls.

Her sophomore year, it was Jim and Liz and Liz and Jim. She always wore his too large of a denim jacket. Jim’s face littered with faded red lipstick from Liz.

The Harringtons didn’t approve of Jim, of course. He had no future goals. College could go fuck itself. Her parents wanted her to find someone who could take care of her, but Liz didn’t want that. She wanted to go to either New York or California and go to school and live freely. She wanted to get the fuck out of Hawkins sooner than later.

Jim was helplessly in love even if he hated to admit that someone has tiny and spoiled as Liz had him wrapped around her pinky. He followed her without any protest when she was accepted to UC Berkley. Her parents refused to pay for it since they wanted her as a housewife instead of pursuing a degree. But Liz is as brilliant as they come so she had a partial-scholarship and the rest in a fuck ton of loans.

Things went downhill from there. Liz was either studying, in class, working part-time, or hanging out with friends. She invited Jim but he felt small as they talked about politics and issues going on in the news. He rather work late as the campus security. So when he got drafted into the war, Jim didn’t mind. He was fighting for his country instead of following Liz around as her non-ambitious boyfriend. But the thing is…

Liz was against the war. She told him to burn his draft card and tell the government to go screw themselves. Jim liked to think that maybe she’s been spending too much time with her yippie friends. But Jim liked to think their relationship was strong enough. Strong enough to last through this war that was said to possibly end in no more than two years with the rate they are going.

Their relationship was strained a bit. He could tell through the letters they wrote each other, but she was just glad that he had lived to see another day. Another year.

Then 1964 happened.

There was a Free Speech Movement that occurred on UC-Berkley’s campus and she met someone. At least she told him instead of having his hopes up and him coming home to her married with another man’s child. Because Liz is honest that way. She didn’t try to push the blame on him or make him feel sorry for her that she was all alone in Berkley.

‘ _Things happen for a reason or maybe by choice. I made the choice to go the Berkley and you made the choice to come with me. Fate chose you to draft you to the war. I chose to stick through this long distance relationship no matter how much I just wanted to end things because the hundreds of letters we send each other do not stop me from worrying and having nightmares that you might die the next day. But I love you and that’s the only reason that pushes me to move forward another day. Who knows how long this war is going to last. They say maybe another year but they said that four years ago. I can’t be thinking what if…”_

Jim knew where this was going. He just hates that he had to read this letter in a room full of his fellow troops.

“ _I met someone. We met at that Free Speech Movement I told you about two months ago. We were friends at first but it is starting to become more difficult to ignore the possibility of something more with him. His name is Kelly. He was named after Gene Kelly. I’m selfish and I can’t apologize for that. You know how impatient I am so I can’t just sit around and wait until you are discharged, or the war to be over, or you to be killed. So I choose him._

_I would like to keep writing—“_

Jim crumpled up the letter and threw it away. Like hell, he was writing back to her. Nine years. Nine years of their relationship thrown away by some yippie kid she met at a rally.

 

Jim didn’t see her again until years later in 1974. He visited Hawkins for the holidays since Diana pushed him into letter Sara meet her other grandfather. Little did he knew that he would have an awkward run-in with his ex-girlfriend.

The grocery store of all places.

Her hair was much longer. She gained more weight. And instead of glowing like he expected, she looked tired.

And there was a child with her.

‘“Jimmy?” her doe brown eyes widened as she halted. She gave him a timid smile. Nothing compared to the bright ones she gifted him with when she sees him in the school’s halls. “Didn’t expect you here.”

“The grocery store?”

“Hawkins,” she corrected.

“I could say the same to you,” she nodded in agreement. Liz vowed to never come back years ago. 

“My mother has been begging me to come visit ever since Karen Wheeler ratted me out about my kids to my parents,” she shared.  “My mom thinks it would be a great idea if my daughter meets his son.”

Oh, yeah. The child in the shopping cart. Jim looked down to see a kid in the cart instead of the usual seating where the child should be.

Jim doesn’t recognize much of Liz in the child. Dark hair, slender nose (like all children have), and pink pouty lips and big brown eyes. Everything else was foreign to him. A plethora of freckles covering her face. A mass of curly dark hair that Liz or any of the Harringtons do NOT have.

“Jim, this is Jude Georgina Johnson,” she introduced them.

“Jude?”

“Yep, after The Beatles,” Liz said.

“I’m assuming Georgina is after George Harrison?”

“You know me so well, Jimmy,” she giggled and that’s how she easily caught his heart again. Hell, he never had it back in the first place. Yeah, he loves Dianna and happy to have his little Sara but Liz. Liz will always be. "I have a little four years old. He's at John's. Named him after--"

“Elizabeth? Who’s this,” Lizzie flinched at the sudden voice. Her smile went from gleaming to forced when she turned to the taller man with a young boy with him. Jim is a cop for a reason but also it was pretty obvious who the stranger was judging by his appearance.

Dark curly hair, with sun-kissed tan skin that matched Jude’s. Light brown freckles covered his face but it was minimal compared to Jude’s.

This had to be Kelly.

“Kelly, this is an old classmate of mine’s,” Liz said. “Jim Hopper. Jim, this is Kelly and this handsome little boy is my nephew, Stevie.”

The boy pouted and crossed his arms. “My name is Steve. And Unca’ Kelly is a meanie.He won’t let me have any M&M’s.”

“I’m sure there are sweets at your house.”

Jim watched as a look of recognition came upon Kelly’s face. “Jim…Hopper,” he repeated. He shook his hand fiercely before turning back to a fidgety Lizzie. He gave her a charming smile yet angry eyes. “The same one who you dated? I recall your last boyfriend having the same name who was drafted in the war.”

Looking as if she was caught in a lie, Liz bowed her head in apology.

Jim’s instincts were going off. He was a policeman for a reason. “I have a little girl, Liz. She’s three. I’m also living in New York. I recall you wanting to visit there. Have you?” He changed the subject.

“Not yet, but soon,” she said softly.

“Doing anything impactful? I recall you wanting to change the world,” Jim pushed on. “It didn’t shock me that you were going to rally and protests against the war. Did you do anything with your major?” She majored in sociology. Her dreams were to speak on topics of inequality and stratification of women in the education and workforce system.

“Ever since I had these little buggers, I’ve been taking care of them,” Liz tried to sound enthused but Jim could read her so well.

“Well, it was nice to meet you Jim, but we have to get going,” Kelly said. His cold blue eyes locked on Jim. The man grabbed Liz by the arm and tugged her along as they pushed the cart past Jim with a pouting Steve following behind.

Jim wished he pushed harder to relieve tightness in his chest. Something in his gut was telling to follow and persist for them to meet again. For him to visit the Harrington house and tell John, her brother, his worries about Kelly. But he knows John doesn’t care much about anything but himself.

But instead, he turned around and continued down the aisle. He didn’t know that he would meet Jude again in five years.

 

* * *

 

Jim was only a Chief for six months before a skinny brat ran into the station and caused a commotion. Nothing ever happens in Hawkins. The occasional burglary and missing cat, but nothing compared to the adrenaline-fueled cases in New York.

“My sister is missing,” the kid yelled as soon as he ran through the door. His voice cracking.

“Whoa, what’s your name kid,” Officer Powell asked the kid.

“Did you hear me? My sister is missing,” the kid was starting to have a panic attack.

“What’s her name, then? we have to know that before we start looking,” Powell led the kid over to his desk. Jim decided to see what the chaos is about. He didn’t interfere yet. For all, he knows this could either be a prank or his sister was hiding.

“Her name is Jude—

—last name?”

“Harrington. She, uh, has short dark hair. Curly and, um, chubby cheeks and brown eyes. Lots of freckles.”

Harrington. Last he heard, John only has one kid.

Jude.

Jude Harrington. Wait a minute…

“Jude Harrington?” Jim finally speaks up. The kid jumps at the sudden voice. “What’s your name, kid?”

“Steve.”

“Where're your parents?”

Steve sighed. “On a date or something. Our babysitter is at home. We snuck out on our bikes and now I can’t find Jude.”

“When’s the last time you saw her?” Jim asked.

“Uh, about an hour ago. What if something happened to her? What if some pedo got her?”

“Pedo? How’d you learn that word,” Jim raised an eyebrow.

Steve flushed. “Jude told me about it. Said there are everywhere but blend in. There is a lot of killers there too and not just Charlie Manson. She said pedos are just an older man who has a thing for little girls AND little boys. What if they snatched her up. I am her older brother and I was supposed to look after her and now I lost her—“

Jim lets Powell calm the kid down. Jim didn’t have the patience.

“Is Jude Harrington really your sister because I thought John only have one kid.”

Steve gaped. “She’s my adopted sister. I mean, she’s technically my cousin but she’s my adopted sister now.”

An uneasiness came over the Chief. “What happened to Liz.”

“Liz?”

“Your Auntie Elizabeth. I was friends with her.”

The kid frowned. “None of your business,” he growled. “I want you to find Jude.”

 

 

It didn’t take long for Jim to find the kid. He saw a bike in front of the Melvald’s General Store and made an educated guess that the kid stopped inside there.

Jim greeted an old high school smoking buddy, Joyce Byers. “You have seen a little girl around here? Dark hair and freckles?”

“Um, Judy?”

“Jude,” he corrected.

“She’s with Jonathan.” Joyce points him to the magazine aisle. Jim stops when he sees the familiar face. Jude was sitting on the floor next to another little boy reading the National Geographic.

“You can work for them one day,” he hears her tell him. “That or Time Magazine. I heard they have awesome photos, too.”

“I never read Time.”

“They do the nitty gritty shit,” she explained. “Like wars and political stuff.”

Jim stops in front of them. “Jude Harrington?”

The little girl lifts her head. She looked the same as she did five years ago. Her hair was shorter, but everything else was the same. It is a bit of shame that she doesn’t look much like her mother. “I’m not stealing. just looking. Joyce said its fine.”

“You should probably call her Ms. Byers,” Jonathan whispers.

“Your brother is worried sick about you.”

“I don’t have a brother.”

“Steve?”

Jude rolled her eyes. “Oh, that brother,” she sighs. “I guess I left him waiting for long enough,” she turns to Jonathan. “I’ll see you at school. Hopefully, we have the same class.”

“Yeah.”

 

“Your brother was worried sick about you,” Jim lectured her as he drove her back to the station.

“That’ll teach him to insult me and ditch me for Tommy,” she retorts. “He deserves to piss his pants.”

“What he say?”

“None of your business.” These kids are getting brattier and brattier by the year. Jim wondered if his daughter would have turned into one when she would have been there age.

“Um,” he didn’t know how to start this just in case it was a sore subject. He figured something had to happened with Liz for Jude to be here. “How’s your mother?”

“Mary?” Steve’s mother.

“No, uh. Liz. I mean, Elizabeth?”

He could see her stiffen from the corner of his eye. A long awkward silence filled the truck. “You don’t have to tell me much. I was just wondering how she was. We use to be friends.”

“Friends?” she whispered.

“Yeah, we kind of dated a bit in high school,” Jim didn’t know why he told her daughter that. Who would care who their parent dated?

“You either did or you didn’t. There is no kinda,” she said. As he said, bratty.

“We did. Dated when she went to college too.”

“Why’d you stop?”

“I served in the army,” Jim shrugged. “She met someone else. Um, Kelly, I think.”

Jude laughed humorlessly. “Were you angry?”

Jim hesitated before replying, “Yeah, but I understood after a while. No one wants to hear the love of your life finding someone else. Especially when I’m bout to risk my life for what? My country? Or someone else’s?”

“Mom was the love of your life?”

“I thought she was, but I was young and she made me feel…”

“What?”

“Special,” maybe it was the lack of sleep or the familiar brown eyes looking at him that caused Jim to open up.

“How was she in high school?”

Jim chuckled. “Gorgeous. Glowing. She was a bird ready to be freed. Hawkins was never for her. She wanted to make a difference.” They finally made it to the station.

“I wish I saw her like that,” Jude said more to herself than to him. She follows Jim inside the station, but then she stopped.

“What’s wrong?”

“She’s dead.”

“Who?”

“Mom. Liz is dead,” she said with a shaky voice.

“How?” Jim hoped this brat was messing with him. But what other reason would Jude be here? Why would Steve call Jude his adopted sister?

“Murder,” she said simply.

“And your father?”

Her shakiness dissolved at the mention of Kelly. Her back straightened and eyes locked into his. “Dead. Shot in the head.” and with that, she continued walking.

He could hear Steve’s yelling when Jude walked further in. “Jude! Where the hell you’ve been?”

 

 

Jim doesn’t let sleeping dogs lie. So, he called the Police Department in Berkley. They never heard about that case. So Liz must have moved somewhere else. He recalled kELLY’S tan skin as if he’s been in the sun too long. Jim assumed that they lived closer to the beach and maybe in the southern part of the state. Luckily the LAPD heard about this case and told him to contact the San Diego Police.

That night Jim drunk himself almost in a coma.

Liz was murdered. Beat to a pulp and with internal bleeding from a broken rib that ruptured her lung. She died when the paramedics came.

And who killed her?

Kelly. Classic domestic violence case went wrong. His gut was right five years ago.

Kelly was killed with a point-blank shot in the head by his daughter.

It was a classic case of self-defense. No one would have convicted her. She was trying to protect her mother so she killed her father.

Jim hadn’t seen or heard much about Jude over the last few years. He hasn’t spoken to her until 1983. When Will Byers went missing.

He found out how close Jude was to the family when he thought Jude was just as crazy as Joyce.

She was attacked by one of those monsters when it broke into Byer’s home. A broken arm and a claw wound on her back. While Jude was trying to help find her best friend’s little brother, her own little brother, Dylan, was with his group of friends helping a powerful little girl.

That was an eventful year.

In that moment, he didn’t see much of Liz in Jude. Jim saw anger. Cynicism yet strength. Willpower and stubbornness. Loyalty and fierce. In the waiting room, outside of Will’s door, he see’s her hold Jonathan’s hand. Jonathan seemed like a nice kid. Quiet. Non-threatening. She needs that. Maybe and hopefully she doesn’t have the same type of men as her late mother did. Maybe Jude would avoid bad boys after what happened to her parents.

 

That thought was shattered when he sees a parked blue Camaro on Lover’s Field. It’s been called that for decades so Jim knew what had to be happening in that car. And he recognized it. He pulled it over for speeding and the kid was a fucking smug douche. Pretty boy with a fucking earring in one hear, and a mullet of all things. Jim was happy to give this kid another ticket.

He expected anyone else in the back of the car with the boy. So when he knocked on the door and interrupted the fumbling and loud moans, he was expected an unknown girl and the boy. “Get out the car.”

“Just a sec,” the boy yells out.

“Fuck, if I get a ticket because of you, you can forget me ever touching your dick again,” he hears the girl whisper.

“Aw, don’t be like that, freckles,” he chuckled. The mullet-haired boy came out first. “We meet again.” Following behind was…

Fuck.

Jude came out with disheveled hair, swollen lips, and a half-buttoned dress.

“Shit.” .

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Please tell me your thoughts. I'm nervous what y'all think. The next chapter will be a rewind so now where going to see how Jude and Billy met.


End file.
